First Flight Completed of Plane with No Moving Parts

First Flight Completed of Plane with No Moving Parts

Engineers say they have carried out the first-ever flight of an electric airplane with no moving parts.

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT, recently shared video of the successful test flight. They also reported their results in the scientific journal Nature.

An airplane usually requires fast-turning turbines to create the necessary thrust and power to lift the plane off the ground and stay in the air.

But MIT researchers say they have created a new air vehicle that powers itself without this kind of engine. In fact, the plane was designed to have no moving parts at all.

Engineers say that developing and expanding such technology could greatly change the future of flying. It could lead to the creation¹ of planes that are safer, quieter and easier to take care of. Such planes would also not produce emissions² that harm the environment.

Steven Barrett is a professor of aeronautics³ at MIT. He helped lead the plane’s development. He said the successful tests have opened up “new and unexplored possibilities” for future aircraft.

Barrett says he first got the idea for planes without moving parts from watching “Star Trek⁴.” He told MIT News he imagined that futuristic air vehicles such as the ones created for “Star Trek” could one day fly in the real world. Such vehicles had simple designs. They moved smoothly⁵ and silently.

The new technology is based on experiments that date back to at least the 1920s. Those early experiments dealt with a system used to create thrust called “ionic wind.”

Ionic wind describes a wind, or thrust, that can be produced when electrical current is passed between a thin and thick electrode. If enough electricity is created, the air between the two electrodes can produce enough thrust to power a small aircraft.

MIT’s experimental plane weighs about 2.5 kilograms. It was made to look similar to traditional aircraft. But instead of having engines attached under the wings, it contains a series of electrodes. The electrodes in the front are made of thin wire. In the back, they take the form of thicker airfoils.

The wires in front and airfoils in the back both carry high electricity – up to 20,000 volts⁷ each. The two create an electrical field of opposing forces that produce wind behind the plane to make it fly.

Barrett said his team dealt with several failed attempts during early test flights of the plane. But the team was finally able to complete a successful flight in which the aircraft traveled about 60 meters in 10 seconds. He added that the plane likely could have flown farther if the test had been carried out in a larger building.

Barrett says the experiment demonstrated the first continuous flight of a plane that is heavier than air, but has no moving parts. “This was the simplest possible plane we could design that could prove the concept that an ion plane could fly,” he said.

Although the reported results could mark the beginning of major changes in the field of flight, Barrett said the current technology has shown limitations. “It’s still some way away from an aircraft that could perform a useful mission,” he said. “It needs to be more efficient, fly for longer, and fly outside.”

One possible issue will be creating a battery that is powerful enough to operate much larger versions of such aircraft, without being too heavy to fly on the plane.

Barrett says the current limitations make it more likely the technology will first be used to create smaller air vehicles. One possibility would be a drone. Drone use, especially in large cities, is expected to greatly increase around the world in coming years.

The MIT team says it believes drone designs without moving parts would create vehicles that are nearly silent and less polluting than current models.

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

turbine – n. large machine that produces power by using gas, steam, etc to turn a wheel

thrust – n. the pushing of something suddenly and with force

emission– n. something being released, usually into the air

electrode – n. the point where an electric current enters or leaves something such as a battery

airfoil – n. the cross-sectional shape of a wing or blade used by a propeller⁸ or turbine

volt⁶ – n. unit of measurment for the force of an electric current

concept – n. an idea or principle

efficient – adj. capable of producing desired results without wasting materials, time, or energy

battery – n. object that provides and stores electricity for things

drone – n. a kind of small aircraft that flies without a pilot

1 creation   

n.创造，创造的作品，产物，宇宙，天地万物

参考例句：

• Language is the most important mental creation of man.语言是人类头脑最重要的产物。
• The creation of new playgrounds will benefit the local children.新游戏场的建立将有益于当地的儿童。

2 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

3 aeronautics   

n.航空术，航空学

参考例句：

• National Aeronautics and Space undertakings have made great progress.国家的航空航天事业有了很大的发展。
• He devoted every spare moment to aeronautics.他把他所有多余的时间用在航空学上。

4 trek   

vi.作长途艰辛的旅行；n.长途艰苦的旅行

参考例句：

• We often go pony-trek in the summer.夏季我们经常骑马旅行。
• It took us the whole day to trek across the rocky terrain.我们花了一整天的时间艰难地穿过那片遍布岩石的地带。

5 smoothly   

adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。

6 volt   

n.伏特，伏

参考例句：

• You may use 100 and 110 volt appliances in your room.您可以在房间使用100及110伏特的电器。
• The common service voltage of electric power in our country is 220/380 volt.我国普通供电电压为220/380伏。

7 volts   

n.（电压单位）伏特( volt的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The floating potential, Vf is usually only a few volts below ground. 浮置电势Vf通常只低于接地电位几伏。 来自辞典例句
• If gamma particles are present, potential differences of several thousand volts can be generated. 如果存在γ粒子，可能产生几千伏的电位差。 来自辞典例句

8 propeller   

n.螺旋桨，推进器

参考例句：

• The propeller started to spin around.螺旋桨开始飞快地旋转起来。
• A rope jammed the boat's propeller.一根绳子卡住了船的螺旋桨。